Oli Welsh-Senior Editor, U.K.

Oli Welsh

Contributor Since January, 2022
Expertise
World of Warcraft, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Mario Kart World
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Polygon.com logo Profile

About Oli Welsh

Oli Welsh has been covering the business and culture of video games for two decades. He started out writing for Edge and other publications (specializing in MMOs and Blizzard, as cover for his World of Warcraft playtime) before joining Eurogamer, where he worked for 14 years as reviews editor, deputy editor, and editor-in-chief; Eurogamer won many Games Media Awards during his tenure. At Polygon, he writes about film and TV as well as games, and provides news, analysis, and criticism on the entertainment we love and the industries that make it, all from his home in London. He loves role-playing, racing, puzzles, tactics, exploration, storytelling, Nintendo, mysteries, spies, fantasy, reality, cars, and classic cinema. He wanted to be a movie critic when he grew up, and now he’s definitely grown up, and occasionally is one. He considers this a win.

Latest

Some Miis jump for joy in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
7 great new Switch 2 games to play in April
What to Play

Spring has sprung a pretty interesting crop

A close-up of Marathon's thief, with a purple lit visor in front of her eyes
Critics have decided they love Marathon, which means it’s on its way to The Game Awards
GOTY Watch

A GOTY nomination is a long shot, but the multiplayer category is Bungie’s to lose

35
An image of what looks like multiple Fortnite theme parks around a center beam of light.
The Fortnite layoffs are another consequence of gaming giving into big tech’s fads
Analysis

It’s exhausting, isn’t it?

A man on horseback rides through a huge, spectacular fantasy mountain vista in Crimson Desert
The rise of the ‘outsider AAA’ studio
Feature

A new breed of reactionary studio from outside gaming's traditional heartlands wants a piece of the blockbuster pie

35
A view of part of Bellabel Park in Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The 25 best Switch 2 games
What to Play

Here’s what you should be playing on Nintendo’s new console

5
Screenshot of Rumi, Zoey, Mira from KPop Demon Hunters. Rumi sits on the back of a car, arms outstretched, across a golden background.
KPop Demon Hunters' directors stand to make an absolute fortune from the sequel
Analysis

A rare case of the creatives winning big

3
The Bowser siblings fly toward toad in Super Mario Bros Wonder DLC
Mario Bros. Wonder’s new multiplayer is a riot, but the challenge levels are its secret weapon
Reviews

The brilliant platformer’s Switch 2 Edition is an inessential but irresistible upgrade

2
A close up of a Switch 2 with the Joy-Con 2 detaching
Report says Nintendo is cutting Switch 2 production, but let's not panic yet
Analysis

Investors are worried after a weak holiday season, but there are other factors at play

11
A young woman wearing shades and gloves at night bites an apple in Resurrection
This 2025 Chinese sci-fi movie is utterly astounding, and it’s streaming now
What to Watch

Bi Gan’s Resurrection just dropped on the Criterion Channel and it is a trip

Kliff strikes a pose in Crimson Desert.
Crimson Desert had a big launch weekend on Steam, but Slay the Spire 2 crushed it
Gaming

It's the third-biggest launch of the year to date behind Resident Evil Requiem

5
Kliff standing in front of an altar in Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert developer admits the game contains generative AI art
News

Pearl Abyss says its inclusion was 'unintentional,' apologizes, and pledges to replace it

4
The kids from Stranger Things cluster together and stare with horror at something off-screen
10 TV shows that should have been just one season
One and Done

Hear us out on Stranger Things

60
Resident Evil Requiem's Grace running with NVIDIA DLSS 5
The race for next-gen graphics went off a cliff this week
Analysis

Between Crimson Desert and DLSS5, gaming’s tech future is called into question

3
Robert Micthum leans on a banister in preacher clothes, with love and hate tattooed on his knuckles, in The Night of the Hunter
The director of visionary horror classic Night of the Hunter never made another movie
One and Done

Actor Charles Laughton only directed one film, and it’s an eerie visionary masterpiece

5
key art for Minecraft
The story of Minecraft is one of the saddest in gaming history
One and Done

Notch never followed up his miracle creation. Neither did Tetris’ Alexey Pajitnov. How come only one of them could live with it?

21
Klyff from Crimson Desert sat on a rock next to a stream.
Crimson Desert just lost its GOTY chances unless it completely upends history
GOTY Watch

A Game Awards nomination is just about possible thanks to one particular precedent

14
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 art showing a medieval knight fighting surrounded by enemies and allies
The 25 best games on Game Pass
What to Play

Here’s what you should be playing on Xbox and PC

Has Nintendo just set up the original Switch to be the best selling console of all time?
Switch 2 system update brings new boost mode for original Switch games
News

Handheld Boost Mode forces Switch games to run as if docked, boosting performance and resolution

3
The Xbox logo over a green background
Xbox is bringing main character energy
Analysis

Microsoft’s console brand has never been less relevant, but at GDC, it was all anyone could talk about

3
Christopher Walken stares uncomfortably in a white suite in The Comfort of Strangers
Christopher Walken gives his creepiest performance in this neglected ’90s psychological thriller
What to Watch

35 years later, The Comfort of Strangers is still one of Walken's best performances

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